I'm not saying the changes aren't profound, just that they might as well be made out of respect or out of a need for hiring people they can't find locally.

There is an abundance of talent in the Middle East, not to mention Middle Easterners working abroad because of lack of opportunity back home. Look, I've lived in the UAE for 14 years, and I can tell you that this is what's happening. It may sound counter intuitive, but that's how it is.

The media loves to portray Gulf countries as haters of the West, when in fact they're the biggest ass kissers out there.

If they had local talent available, why go through the expense of building a whole new town? I mean, respect alone doesn't justify burning money like that.

The media loves to portray Gulf countries as haters of the West, when in fact they're the biggest ass kissers out there.

I don't know what media you're referring to, but I'd say that around here, Gulf countries are more likely to be represented as lackeys of US imperialism, and also as a place where our soccer players and managers go to make money (for example, the new manager of Al-Fujairah is my compatriot).

Because of their obssession with the West - not respect, obssession - which is the point I've been trying to make.

Well, I sometimes browse through the headlines and comments on /r/worldnews, which I think gives a good idea of what Americans think of current world issues.

Hah, Fujairah is a nice little town. Long time since I passed by as it's kind of out of the way of everything else.